Male witness dressed as woman throws wrinkle into manslaughter case

9:33 PM,
Apr. 10, 2013

A file photo of Sandra Arena in court in 2009.

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When a biological man identified as a key witness in the 2009 criminal case against Sandra Arena showed up in court, he was not dressed as a man.

Instead, the witness came as a woman, used a woman's name, and asked to be called "ma'am" during questioning.

Arena, who was convicted of killing a man when she drove her car into a crowd outside a city bar, contends in an appeal of that verdict that the witness's choice of attire constituted a disguise. And that disguise, the appeal maintains, violated a constitutional guarantee a defendant has to confront witnesses. That guarantee is encapsulated in ...